


just the two of us

by despainx



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired By Until Dawn (Video Game), Until Dawn AU, ZK Drabble December 2020, Zutara Drabble December 2020, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:41:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28367076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/despainx/pseuds/despainx
Summary: Katara and Zuko try to cope with the loss of their friends and being the sole survivors of a weekend getaway that took a tragic turn.Zutara Drabble December 2020 day 27: Don’t worry
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	just the two of us

**Author's Note:**

> tw: this fic contains mentions of deaths and injuries (nothing graphic though)
> 
> firstly, if you couldn’t tell by the tags this is an until dawn au (one of my favorite ps4 games), so if you’re not familiar with it, you might not get the context a 100%, but i’ve tried my best to simplify and explain things. for reference, this is based on the ending scene with sam and mike, as i sort of used their roles for katara and zuko, as they’re the main two and my favorites from the game, and as a duo, they remind me of zutara for some reason. and yes i only wrote one day for zkdd because of lack of inspiration, hopefully this isn’t an issue. also english isn’t my first language which doesn’t help. and i went 30 words overboard oops my bad, anyways hope you enjoy :)

Katara had never expected that the most relieving moment of that eventful night, hell, maybe even her entire nineteen years of life, would be her clinging to Zuko’s arm, watching as the lodge in front of them was engulfed by flames and the sun ascended with the skies turning into hues of pink and orange.

A moment of “peace”, after so much death.

Aang.

Toph.

Sokka.

Jet.

Haru.

Azula.

Suki.

Mai.

Ty Lee.

Each one of them killed by the tall, lanky creatures known as the Wendigos. They were smart and agile, cruel and insatiable, with thick skin that not only protected them from the blizzards, but was also impenetrable. The only way of being unnoticed by them was by being completely still. Unknown by the group, the monsters inhabited the mountain they were spending the weekend on and hunted their prey down until daylight came.

Zuko had helped Katara up from the snow after Jet’s inherited lodge blew up, and caused her to be thrown onto the ground by sheer force. They didn’t exchange a single word, both first shared a concerned glance, then stared at the aftermath. Clutching his arm like a lifeline, she wasn’t sure if she was doing it to comfort herself through the slightest bit of human warmth she got from underneath the thick, worn out miner jacket he found who knows where, or if it was to console him.

When the two were trapped inside the lodge with the monsters, they had caused a gas leak while they fought each other over who got to feast on the duo. Katara and Zuko knew what they needed to do, it was their last resort: blowing up the lodge, but in time to make it outside. Even though Zuko was the one who came up with the risky plan –Katara cleverly catching up and following along by simple looks and gestures –she knew the blazing inferno right in front of his eyes unsettled him. It wasn’t hard to tell by the way he became stiff just by looking at it. She didn’t need to ask why it made him uneasy.

His face said it all.

The left side, specifically.

It was crazy to think about how hours ago they barely spoke to each other, and weren’t planning to during the rest of the trip either. They hung out solely because of their mutual friends. But as the circumstances grew grim and the rest of the group died by the hour, they had to depend on each other for survival, creating a sense of urgent, but real trust. 

Katara felt his shoulder jerk, and when she looked at him, silent tears ran through his grime and blood covered cheeks, his scar was almost hidden under the dirt and wounds. He was in a much worse condition than her, comparing to the bruise on her forehead and knee, the bloody stain on her hoodie, and of course the soreness from running and climbing away from danger until dawn. Zuko finally stared back at her, tears still streaming down his tired aureate eyes.

Despite the intoxicating scent of burning wood and the obnoxious noise of a helix spinning above them, she tried to be hopeful, after all, that was the expected from her. The helicopters had arrived, they were gonna be rescued.

So Suki and Sokka did manage to call for help at the radio tower– inconveniently enough, the mountain had no signal and their only chance of escaping, the cable car key, was long gone, along with Jet’s headless corpse –even if they never made it back...

Her copper fingers interlaced with his pale ones in an attempt to comfort him. She winced when she felt two stumps instead of his middle and ring finger, sloppily bandaged by himself. Katara had forgotten about that, at some point of the night before they found each other he had managed to lose his fingers. He never went into detail about it, but the annoyed frown on his face when she first mentioned it suggested he caused it himself, which was believable, based off his tendency of acting impulsively.

“Don’t worry Zuko, it’s over,” Katara breathed out a smile. It wasn’t out of joy, her furrowed eyebrows and glossy eyes reflected melancholy. “we’re safe...”

Zuko didn’t answer, instead tried to pay attention to what the female voice coming from the helicopter was saying. Katara soon attempted to hear the incoherent sounding phrases muffled by the helix as well.

“I have confirmation on... two survivors.” 

Then, she shattered.

They were the only two left.

She knew it already, but her brain was taking its time to process it.

All their friends were gone.

She had lost her sibling, Sokka was dead.

Why must everyone leave her?

First, her mother –then her father, but not in the same way –and now her brother was gone too?

It was her fault, again. She should have been there when Suki and him left to get help, she should have stopped them, or went with them. 

She should have died instead of him.

“...don’t worry,” Katara repressed her cries. “we’re gonna be... okay.”

She wasn’t being honest. By the way her empty eyes were full only of tears, it was clear she was just trying to reassure herself, and him too, out of despair.

Zuko wrapped his arms around Katara with hesitance, but she didn’t protest against his embrace like she likely would a few years ago. Instead, she collapsed on his shoulder. It hurt, she was leaning against his scratched shoulder, but he didn’t care, she deserved a moment to be the hopeless one between the two.

Her body trembled with sobs, forehead resting on his wound while her arms latched tight around him. The pair of sweaty palms pressed to her back felt oddly appropriate, like they had always belonged there, like it wasn’t the first time they hugged with the fear of letting go and the other fading away before their eyes. He held her close, both relishing each other’s mere existence until the helicopters landed.

No words were spoken for the rest of the journey, the ceaseless intertwining of their hands was enough.


End file.
